others in the fate of fufferers, who give fuch proof of their fincerity, they fometimes, imperceptibly, create a prejudice in favor of the principles themselves, which can render men fuperior to what is fo repugnant to human nature; accordingly it has been found, both in religious and civil contentions, that many fects and parties have flourished under perfecution, and when unnoticed and neglected, have drooped and died away. We may therefore admit, that a certain degree of oppofition was favorable to the caufe of chriftianity at its first promulgation; but it is contrary to common fense to suppose, that perfecution carried to fuch extremities, and continued through fuch a length of time, had a natural tendency to make men embrace it; nay, we may reasonably conclude, that fome inducement, beyond the ordinary operation of the motives proposed in the gofpel, was neceffary to counteract such disadvantages, and to

prevail

prevail on perfons of all defcriptions to embrace and adhere to it, as we know they did. But grievous as fuch feverities were to thofe on whom they were inflicted, and inimical, while they lafted, to the progrefs of christianity, they were the means of furnishing to pofterity the strongest proof of the truth of that religion they were intended to reprefs: for they occafioned the most rigorous inquiry into the evidence of it, both by these who embraced, and by thofe who oppofed it, and at a time when any fraud or defect in that evidence could have been easily detected. As no fraud or defect was discovered, (for those who rejected the religion, admitted the facts on which the belief of it was founded, but perversely attributed them to the most improbable caufes) the fupport which is thus afforded to the history of the new teftament is fo confiderable, that the greatest enemies of our faith have fince, as well as then, been forced

to

to have recourfe to other modes of attack, inftead of attempting directly to disprove the hiftory; which done, the whole system falls in pieces at once, which not done, all other objections can be of little avail.

WHILE therefore, as partakers of the fame human nature, we fympathife in the fuffering of the primitive martyrs, reason tells us, that God, who in his appointed time, will recompence those sufferings an hundred fold, permitted his church to be thus affailed by ftorms, to demonstrate at once to it's friends and enemies, the depth and folidity of it's foundations. Men took counsel together against the Lord, and against his anointed, but he that dwelleth in heaven laughed them to fcorn, and had them in derifion.

ANOTHER advantage that refulted to the chriftian cause from having been fo long opposed,

oppofed, was, that no pretence could be alledged, with the smallest probability, of its having been introduced to serve any worldly purpofe; and alfo, that it was preferved by this means, from being corrupted in its infant ftate, by political or philofophical maxims. The different fchemes of Pagan theology, were all intro. duced and fupported by lawgivers and kings, and calculated to infpire a more awful fenfe of their authority. Even the Jewish religion, as it was to be confined to one people, and to fubfift no longer than their state continued, was established by fanctions of government, though of an extraordinary kind: but the religion of Chrift, defigned to be coeval with the world, and to be preached throughout every region of it, had no fupport from human power, lest it should appear to be in any degree dependent on that power, or to have been more particularly

particularly adapted to one fort of government than to another.

HAD the Roman emperor and fenate at once become converts to christianity, and taken it under their protection, the interpofition of God would have been lefs confpicuous; and we, who even now, in exprefs contradiction to the whole tenor of history, have heard so often that our religion is only an inftrument of state, should never have been able to filence objections of this fort, and should indeed ourselves have wanted that irrefragable evidence to the contrary which we now poffefs. At least, we fhould not have had fo convincing a proof of the fincerity of the first preachers of the gofpel, and of their having heen actuated by no motives of interest or ambition. Nay, had the perfecution foon fubfided, fince intereft or ambition will fometimes lead men to encounter geat difficulties, where

they